In the end, Fina was nowhere to be found after I broke the wall.
At first, I’m relieved, but then slowly I start to get angry for being deceived.
[Rojina-san! What was that trial just now! Was it just to piss me off?] Yuna
[I don’t know even if you ask me. I didn’t know there was such a trial in the first place. I’ve seen trials where you have to break down walls with weapons, but not something to the extent where people are trapped inside like that. Though it seems that Guildmaster Tarotova knows about it.] Rojina
[Is that so?] Yuna
I shifted my gaze from Rojina-san to Guildmaster.
[Ah, there have been similar trials in the past.] Guildmaster
[If that’s the case, why didn’t you tell me? Then I wouldn’t have been in such a hurry.] Yuna
[It’s a trial, it would be pointless if I told you about it beforehand. It’s supposed to test the performance of the weapon, the skill of the wielder, and finally, the composure of the one that handles the weapon. If any of them is lacking, you will not be able to complete it. That’s why if I told you, the trial will be meaningless.] Guildmaster
[That’s true, but… Wasn’t that just terrible?] Yuna
Taking Fina hostage is the worst kind of trial for me.
Just thinking about it makes me furious. I wonder where I could shift this anger.
[It will not show up to everyone. When a superior weapon, carried by a superior user appears, then it will test the mind of the user. I’ve seen it happen twice in all my years. You’ve been accepted by the Gate of Trials. You should be happy about it.] Guildmaster
Who would be happy about that? If someone you care about is being held hostage, so you do your best to save them, only to discover that [It was a lie], there’s no other choice but to get angry.
My mood is terrible right now. I feel like raging.
[There’s a chance that your loved ones may be captured just like that. The question IS whether you can deal with it calmly. Even if your weapon is good, but if your mind is disturbed, you will not be able to use it to its full potential. That’s the point of this trial.] Guildmaster
Isn’t it unavoidable for anyone to panic if their loved one got captured?
People are not that strong. If someone you love is about to die in front of you, you will panic. What kind of ascetic would expect us to be calm? It’s impossible for a normal person. I thought the trial would end if I used magic, but it didn’t. I was upset about many things.
[Even so, that girl back there is quite important to you, isn’t she? Usually, it’s a family member or a lover that shows up.] Guildmaster
[Fina is like a dear sister to me.] Yuna
I’ve never thought of my parents as important and I’ve never had a boyfriend in my entire life. So, none of them will appear. If they did, it would probably be my grandfather, who understood me. I only feel bad for my grandfather that I came to this world.
Fina has indeed become an important part of my life. Swaying Bear, Hugging Bear, Noa, and Shuri are also important to me. When I think about it, I think that the number of acquaintances that I care about has increased since I came to this world. The people I’ve met are all kind and I want to protect them. Above all, they are living their lives to the fullest. They are not like my parents, who are always begging their daughter for money.
[It’s good to have someone to care about, even if someone like a sister to you. It makes you stronger. Many people neglect their own lives when they work in dangerous jobs like adventuring. It’s important to have someone you care about when you come home.] Guildmaster
Guildmaster’s words carried weight. Perhaps Guildmaster has seen many weaponsmiths and adventurers.
A place to come back to…… When I think about it, the place where I can call home is the place where Fina is.
[By the way, what happened to the person who went through the same trial as me?] Yuna
I wonder if he was as angry as I was. Normally, one would be angry about that illusion.
[Of course, it’s a secret. You don’t want anyone else to know about you either, right?] Guildmaster
Ugh, sure. I want to hear it, but I don’t want him to talk about me to others. If that happens, I won’t be able to come to this town ever again.
[And according to the rules, I’m not allowed to talk about it.] Guildmaster
Come to think of it, was there such a rule about that?
[If the content of the trials were known in advance, it would not be a trial anymore. That’s why they made the rule that you can’t tell anyone about the trials.] Guildmaster
Well, if the content of the trial was known in advance, we could take countermeasures and it wouldn’t be a challenge. If you know the answer to a quiz in advance, then it’s not a quiz at all.
That’s why Rojina-san, Ghazal-san, and Gordo-san didn’t disclose any of it, and that’s why Ricca-san has no idea of what’s happening here.
[So, Missy, do not tell anyone what happened in here.] Guildmaster
[Even to Fina and Ruimin upstairs?] Yuna
I will not tell anyone, but I want to tell Fina and Ruimin who are waiting upstairs.
[That’s right. Because when those girls grow up, they might become adventurers and challenge the Gate of Trials in the future.] Guildmaster
Fina, as an adventurer huh.
I tried to imagine it, but it doesn’t suit her. She looks better staying at home. But she does have excellent dismantling skills, doesn’t she? Even if she can’t wield a weapon, she could use magic to become an adventurer. Still, I can’t imagine Fina fighting monsters.
Well, it looks like I’m not supposed to talk to anyone who might be taking the trials.
[Tarotova, that’s enough talk. It’s about time for the prize.] Rojina
[Prize?] Yuna
Rojina-san rubbed his thumb to his other finger. When I look at the tip of Rojina-san’s thumb, I saw the magic circle glowing. The magic circle is in a different place now.
A magic circle to check the weapons. A magic circle where the opponents come out. Finally, there’s a glowing magic circle in front of me.
[Am I getting prizes?] Yuna
I wish they told me at the beginning that I was going to get a prize. If so, I would have tried my best to complete the time attack or something. I would be very frustrated if the prizes were related to the time it took to complete the trials.
But I guess it’s just me being a gamer, it makes me happy whenever I hear about prizes.
[You’re not going to get much no matter how happy you look.] Rojina
Is that so?
Well, I don’t want anything rare or legendary grade, I’ll be happy if it’s something I can use.
[Now then, the prize will be…… Iron. It’s meant to remind you to use that iron and do your best for the next trial.] Guildmaster
What~? Iron? If it’s iron, I don’t need it since I have a stock of Iron Golems. Even if I receive it, I have no use for it.
Why don’t we make it a souvenir for Ghazal-san? After all, I participated with Ghazal-san’s knives.
[Could it be a special iron?] Yuna
[No. It’s just ordinary iron. Although it has no impurities, so it can be processed quickly.] Rojina
Don’t they give Mithril to those who participate with Mithril?
When I mentioned it, they said such a thing never occurred. That’s too bad.
I walked to the glowing magic circle. The light slowly faded and an unexpected object appeared in the center of the magic circle.
[What the hell was that?] Guildmaster
Guildmaster squinted while looking at the object that appeared.
I rubbed my eyes.
I guess my eyesight has been getting worse lately. Even though I don’t watch TV, play video games, or read manga or novels at night anymore. I even go to bed early, wake up early, and live a regular life. Sometimes I laze around all day. So basically, I don’t do anything that would damage my eyes.
We approached the center of the magic circle where there was a mysterious object.
[It’s a bear.] Guildmaster
[Yeah, it’s a bear.] Rojina
As both of them said, there was a bear figurine in the center of the magic circle. It was grayish-silver. It’s the color of pure iron.
Rojina-san and Guildmaster touched the bear figurine.
[It’s iron.] Guildmaster
[It’s definitely an iron.] Rojina
A bear made of iron.
For some reason, the shape is a deformed bear. It’s in the shape of the bear sculptures I made at the rest shop.
The only thing I can think of is that it probably read my memories? But then, with how well it read my memories of Fina, like how she looked so much like her that I got fooled by it. Perhaps it could easily recreate the bear figurines from my memory. Still, why a bear though?
[Could it be the shape of the iron is different for everyone?] Yuna
[Basically, the shape is different for everyone. But while they come in irregular shapes and sizes, I’ve never seen anything with such a distinct shape.] Guildmaster
[And this one is huge. I’ve never seen a prize this big before.] Rojina
The size of the iron bear is about the size of Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear in their normal form.
[That’s why your trial was so special, Missy.] Rojina
[Well, that was quite an ordeal.] Yuna
[But how are we going to move this thing? If we don’t move it, we won’t be able to start the next trial.] Guildmaster
Rojina-san and Guildmaster, both dwarves, tried to move it, but the iron bear didn’t budge.
Well, moving something like that is very simple for me.
[It’s okay.] Yuna
When I touched the iron bear, it disappeared into my bear box.
The bear box is versatile.
[Is that weird glove an item bag?] Guildmaster
It’s weird, it’s strange, it’s a bear. Well, I thought it was strange the first time I used it too. But I want to deny it when someone else says it.
As I was about to complain, the light around me gradually dimmed.
Guildmaster looks around and shouts.
[No way! The Gate of Trials is closing! But it’s only one challenger!] Guildmaster
[So that’s how intense her fight was. It even drained the gate’s magic power.] Rojina
[Why are you talking about it as if it were someone else’s problem? Dozens of weaponsmiths are coming here today to challenge the Gate of Trials. What are we going to do!] Guildmaster
[Even if you say that, I don’t know.] Rojina
[You’re the one who brought Missy here.] Guildmaster
[And I’ve got your permission.] Rojina
[Yeah, but how would I know that she’s such an amazing girl? I mean, she’s dressed as a bear, she’s a small girl, and her weapon of choice are knives.] Guildmaster
I’m a bear, but I’m not small.
[Damn it, Rojina, come up with something! You only have until we get back to the upper room.] Guildmaster
Guildmaster walks off, holding his head. Rojina-san and I follow after him.
Author’s Note:
It took me a long time to rewrite a lot of things.
The prize is an iron bear. And it’s a big one.
I guess she can use it for something?
Also, as you might have guessed, the magic power of the Gate of Trials ran out.
Guildmaster is in trouble.
As for Yuna`s grandfather, I`m thinking about the setting a little bit, but I’m not too worried about it, just think of him as having a typical doting grandfather.
